That's My Baby!

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “It sounds like my father,” Jessica had to admit. When someone within Russell Franklin’s organization threatened the empire he’d worked so hard to build, Jessica had no doubt he’d use all the power at his disposal to annihilate that person. She’d also like to think that in this case, her father’s contacts in the business agreed with him that Steven Pruitt needed to be stopped.

  “Well, he blackballed the wrong guy. I’d just had a crash course in kidnapping, and it didn’t take me long to figure out who my target should be.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “You can thank my excellent memory. When we were at Columbia, you told me that if you could live anywhere in the world, it would be Aspen, Colorado. You’d never been there, but you thought the pictures were beautiful and you were sure you’d like it.”

  She vaguely remembered the conversation. Sure enough, she had always been fascinated with Aspen. After meeting Nat there, she’d decided going to Aspen had been her destiny. Oh, God. Nat. An instinct for protecting her child had blocked thoughts of Nat, but now her vision filled with a picture of him lying in the dirt.

  Was he…no, he couldn’t be…she refused to think the word. She had to believe he’d only been knocked unconscious. Once he woke up, he’d come looking for her.

  She should have found some way to leave signs along the way. Damn, why hadn’t she thought of that earlier? Maybe it wasn’t too late. But what sort of signs? With her hands tied, she couldn’t very well drop off bits of clothing.

  The diaper bag banged against her knee again. She looked down at it and noticed the tail of Elizabeth’s sock monkey sticking out between the overlapping flaps that held the bag closed. She’d crammed Bruce in the diaper bag for safekeeping, despite Elizabeth’s protests, because she’d figured if Elizabeth held the monkey while she rode in the carrier, she’d drop him somewhere along the way.

  Which would have been a perfect plan.

  She needed to keep Pruitt involved in the conversation so he wouldn’t suspect she was doing anything covert. “So after all that time, you remembered what I’d said and figured out to look for me in Aspen. That’s pretty amazing.” Watching to make sure he didn’t turn around, she worked the diaper-bag handle up so the monkey’s tail was almost within reach.

  “Amazing to you, maybe. That’s just how I work. I test out pretty high on the charts. I was on scholarship to Columbia, and I probably could have talked Northwestern into giving me one, too, but I liked soaking your daddy.”

  “I suppose you graduated with honors, then.” The ropes cut into her wrist as she strained forward and finally got her fingers around the monkey’s tail.

  “Could’ve. But with your old man footing the bill, I decided not to bust my butt. After all, I didn’t even have to worry about a job once I got out of college. Why sweat that last semester?”

  Her father must have really been worried about his guy, Jessica thought. And for good reason, obviously. “Did you like being a reporter?” she asked. Slowly she let the diaper bag drop into its original position, and an orange-stained Bruce popped out through the flaps.

  “It was okay. Following you all summer has been better, though. Like espionage or James Bond stuff. I began to wonder if you were having a good time, too. So ’fess up, Jessica. Did I give you a thrill or two?”

  Oh, yeah, she’d loved being stalked by a weirded-out nerd like Pruitt. “Sorry, I guess I don’t have your sense of adventure.” The guy obviously also needed lots and lots of medication.

  “You shoulda gone out with me all those years ago, Jessica.”

  “Maybe so.” She had a split second of regret at sacrificing Bruce, but if she didn’t find a way to leave a clue for Nat, losing Bruce would be the least of her worries. Keeping an eye on Pruitt, she loosened her grip on the monkey’s tail. He slipped down and balanced on the top of the diaper bag.

  Saying a quick apology to Elizabeth, Jessica nudged the diaper bag, and Bruce fell to the ground. She was very much afraid that her horse stepped on him. But most important of all, Pruitt seemed to be so wrapped up in his fantasy that he apparently hadn’t noticed a thing.

  IT WAS LUNCHTIME when Nat banged on the front door of the ranch house. Sebastian opened the door, took one look at him and yelled for Matty.

  “He took them,” Nat said, breathing hard.

  “Oh, God.” Sebastian went white.

  Matty came rushing to his side and looked from her husband to Nat. “What…oh no. No.” She clutched her stomach and began to wobble.

  Sebastian and Nat rushed to grab her at once.

  “I have her,” Sebastian said, supporting her gently. “Come on, Matty. Let’s get you on the couch.”

  “Where are they?” Matty wailed.

  “I only know which direction they went. He knocked me out first and took them on horseback.”

  Sebastian guided Matty down onto the couch and turned back to Nat. “What happened to that goddamn alarm? I thought that was supposed to protect you out there? Where was that fancy alarm system?”

  Nat had used the long, grinding stretch of road to the ranch to figure that out. The blame was all his, and he faced Sebastian and delivered the damning explanation. “We had an argument. I went out to chop wood, and I turned it off on the way out. I told her to turn it back on after I was out the door. But she didn’t know how. I never showed her how. Oh, God.” His throat closed and he turned away. He couldn’t break down. He had things to do.

  Sebastian’s hand closed over Nat’s shoulder, and his voice was choked. “We’ll get them back. I’ll call Travis and Boone. We’ll get them back.”

  Nat dug down and found the strength to meet Sebastian’s gaze. “I will. I’ll get them back.”

  Sebastian gave his shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll do it together, buddy.” Then he turned to Matty. “Are you okay? You’re not having pains or anything, are you?”

  “No, I’m fine.” Matty took a deep breath. “And I want to go with you when you look for them.”

  “No,” Sebastian said. “No, Matty. Don’t ask that of me, please.”

  She stood. “I’m not asking, I’m telling! I want to go. I will go.”

  “God, Matty, don’t do this.”

  “But I—”

  “Listen to me, you stubborn, can-do woman.” He took her by the shoulders. “I know all your abilities, and yes, you could be valuable to us, but I can’t risk you, the mother of my child, the person I can’t live without. I will be worthless in this search unless I know that you’re safe.”

  She gazed at him, and her throat moved in a swallow. “Okay, I’ll stay,” she said in a low voice. “But know this, Sebastian. My every instinct is screaming at me to go and find Elizabeth. I am going to stay only out of love for you. And you’d damn well better find that baby.”

  Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief. “We’ll find her. Nat, you and I can saddle the horses while Matty calls Boone and Travis.”

  Nat glanced at him. “I’ll do that, but after Matty calls them, I need to make a call, too.”

  “If you’re thinking of getting the sheriff into this now, I vote we don’t waste time with the law. Let’s track this guy down before the trail gets old.”

  “I wasn’t thinking of calling the sheriff. I agree with you on that.” Nat thought of the promise he’d made to try to preserve Sebastian’s privacy. Along with his other sins, he’d have to break that promise. “I want to call her father.”

  Sebastian regarded him steadily. “Okay.”

  Nat knew that no man had ever made a greater personal sacrifice for him than Sebastian was doing at this moment.

  Sebastian gestured toward the kitchen. “Go do it now. Matty can use my cell phone to call Travis and Boone. I’ll meet you in the barn.”

  Nat gave him a brief nod and started for the kitchen.

  “And Nat,” Sebastian called after him.

  Nat turned.

  “Don’t worry. The four of us can damn well handle one dude from New York,” Sebastian s
aid with the faintest trace of a smile. “No matter how much money he’s got.”

  Nat wasn’t thinking of Franklin’s money as he reached for his wallet and pulled out the embossed card he’d kept tucked inside ever since he’d paid a visit to Franklin Hall. What he was about to do to Russell Franklin couldn’t be softened by all the money in the world.

  Nat knew exactly how the man would feel—the helpless panic, the blinding rage, the self-blame. Oh, yes. Nat knew exactly how Russell Franklin would feel. It would undoubtedly be the worst moment of the man’s life. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to know. Nat understood that, too.

  Only two rings sounded before Jessica’s father picked up. “Russell P. Franklin.”

  Nat closed his eyes, hating to deliver the blow.

  “Hello? Who’s there? Jessica?”

  “It’s Nat Grady.”

  “Grady! You’ve found her!”

  “Yes, I did. And—”

  “Fantastic, son! Hold on and let me call Adele on the other line. She’s going to be—”

  “There’s more.” Nat’s chest tightened.

  “More?” Fear hummed over the wire.

  “For the past six months she’s been dodging a stalker. This morning he kidnapped her.”

  This was a deadly silence on the other end. Then Russell’s voice roared over the line. “Then what the hell are you doing on the damn phone? Have you called the police? The FBI? Forget that! Tell me where the hell you are! Don’t do a damn thing until I get there!”

  A cold calmness settled over Nat. “I’m going after her. My friends and I are heading out on horseback from the Rocking D Ranch in just a few minutes. The ranch is near a little town in Colorado called Huerfano. You can stop anywhere in town and get directions out here.”

  “I’ve never heard of the place! Probably a bunch of hicks, and sure as the world, you’re going to louse this up! Stay put, and I’ll—”

  “Huerfano’s not far from Canon City,” Nat said, his tone even. “If you fly into Colorado Springs and rent a car, you can probably get here by tonight. I plan to have her back by then.”

  “The hell you say! If you so much as move your little finger before I get there, so help me, Grady, you’ll wish you’d never heard the name Russell P. Franklin!”

  “Sorry, Russell.” Nat wasn’t even angry at the man. In his shoes, Nat would have issued the same threats. He could completely understand Russell’s need for control. He had the same need. “We’re going after her. And there’s one other thing. The guy didn’t get only Jessica. He also took her eight-month-old daughter, Elizabeth.”

  Russell gasped.

  “And yes, in case you’re wondering, she’s my daughter, too. So now you’ll understand why I’m heading out. See you tonight.” He hung up the phone. Nothing else they said to each other mattered. Now it was time to go get Jessica.

  Matty came into the kitchen. “I got ahold of both Travis and Boone,” she said. “Everyone’s coming here. The women and little Josh will stay with me while you’re gone.”

  Nat nodded. “Good. I’d better get out to the barn and help Sebastian.”

  “I’ll pack some food for all of you. No telling how long…well, no telling.”

  “Right.” He turned to go out the kitchen door.

  “Nat! The back of your head! It’s covered with dried blood. Let me—”

  “Forget it, Matty.”

  She grabbed his arm. “You might even have a concussion. Let me look at it.”

  Gently he pried her fingers away as he gazed down at her. “I don’t have time,” he said. “By the way, Russell Franklin should arrive here sometime tonight. With luck we’ll be back with Jessica and Elizabeth before he gets here.”

  “Nat, I think you should let me look at your head.”

  “Thanks anyway, Matty.” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he went out the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “PATTY-CAKE, PATTY-CAKE, baker’s man.” Jessica sat cross-legged on a blanket with Elizabeth in her lap not far from the mouth of the small cave where Pruitt had set up camp. She’d finally been able to clean the carrot juice off the baby, and so far Elizabeth hadn’t seemed to notice that Bruce was missing in action.

  For Elizabeth, the forest was obviously a wondrous place filled with birds, squirrels and chipmunks. She was excited, curious, and had no idea that the object held by the man sitting on the far side of the clearing had the power to end her days.

  While Jessica played with Elizabeth, she glanced around for potential toys to keep the baby amused. Pruitt had ordered her to keep Elizabeth on the blanket so he didn’t have to follow them around and make sure they weren’t trying to run off. He lounged on another folded blanket, his back against a tree, and watched them.

  The shadows lengthened and the air was turning cooler. Before long it would be dark. Jessica’s shoulders still burned from the hours Elizabeth had spent on her back in the carrier. They’d reached the camp about midday, but after a too-brief rest for a little food, Pruitt had ordered Jessica to put Elizabeth back in the carrier and climb on the horse again.

  Jessica had thought her arms would come out of their sockets, but she’d done as he’d commanded. Then they’d ridden in a different direction until they’d come to a swath cut through the trees and the first sign of civilization she’d seen so far, a telephone line. Jessica didn’t want to think of what had happened next, but the scene was imprinted on her retina as if she’d stared into the sun too long.

  At gunpoint, Pruitt had demanded that she transfer the carrier with Elizabeth in it to him. He’d thanked her, in fact, for suggesting they bring the carrier in the first place. Then, with the baby on his back and a laptop computer strapped around his waist, he’d climbed the telephone pole. While Elizabeth crowed in delight at the adventure, Jessica had stood below and prayed as she’d never prayed in her life.

  God had answered her prayers, and Pruitt had come back down without falling or dropping Elizabeth out of the carrier. Then he’d returned the baby for the trip back to camp. All the way back, Jessica had been forced to listen to him brag about how he’d tapped into the telephone cable and sent an e-mail ransom note to her father demanding a huge sum of money be wired to his bank account in the Cayman Islands. The following day, Pruitt had said, they’d repeat the maneuver so that he could get her father’s reply and confirmation of the money transfer.

  Jessica had sent up another prayer, this one asking to be rescued before Pruitt made another journey up that pole with her baby perched precariously on his back. So far, that prayer hadn’t been answered. Jessica couldn’t remember ever being so tired and sore, except after her hours of labor with Elizabeth.

  Pruitt would have to sleep sometime, Jessica thought. Of course he’d tie her up, but surely he wouldn’t tie Elizabeth, too? The thought made her stomach clench. She couldn’t risk that he’d be inhuman enough to do such a thing. She had to think of a way to disable him before he got sleepy enough to think of tying her and Elizabeth.

  “Time for you to earn your keep,” Pruitt said. “Get a can of stew and the camp stove out of that box over there.” He laughed. “Your turn to cook dinner.”

  She gathered Elizabeth in her arms and stood. That answered her question as to whether or not he planned to build a fire to keep them warm. Apparently he’d figured out that a campfire would make it easier for someone to find them. Jessica decided she’d put a couple of layers of clothing on Elizabeth tonight.

  “Oh, and make some coffee while you’re at it,” he said.

  Holding Elizabeth on one hip, she struggled with the camp stove. If only she could figure out a way to poison his food. Or his coffee. Wait a minute. As she continued to set up the stove, she wracked her brain trying to remember her notes from her most recent class on herbal remedies. Part of the class had been devoted to the danger of poisonous plants.

  But what were those plants? Mistletoe, for sure. But even if she happened to be lucky eno
ugh to see some around here, it would be hanging from a branch, probably impossible for her to get without being noticed. But there was another one that grew on the ground. Foxglove. And she knew exactly how she’d look for it.

  “I’m having a little trouble working while I’m holding Elizabeth,” she said.

  “Too bad. I sure as hell don’t plan to hold her.”

  “I wouldn’t want—I mean—expect you to. But if I prop her carrier against a tree and tie it to the trunk, I think it can work like a high chair.”

  “Go ahead. Just remember, this gun is cocked and pointed at that kid’s head.”

  “Yes.” As if she could ever forget. Talking animatedly to Elizabeth, Jessica picked her up and went over to get the carrier and a length of rope Pruitt had left lying on the ground. Looping the rope around her neck, she leaned the carrier against her knees and put Elizabeth inside. “I’m going to find the perfect spot for you,” she said, picking it up.

  “Ba-ba!” Elizabeth chortled, craning her head around to watch what Jessica was doing.

  Jessica walked around the campsite and studied the plants growing there while she pretended to be searching out the perfect tree for securing the carrier. She passed one plant twice, not certain it was the right one. Without the flowers it was harder to tell. Finally she decided it had to be foxglove. And it was growing right behind a tree.

  “This is the one,” she sang out. “Here we go, Elizabeth.” She positioned the rigid back of the carrier against the trunk. Securing the seat to the tree was a tricky maneuver while Elizabeth jiggled around in it. Once, it nearly tipped over. Jessica made a huge production of it as she kept up a monologue about making sure the rope was secure.

  Elizabeth twisted and turned, trying to follow Jessica’s antics, making the process even more difficult. But Jessica noticed that Pruitt seemed to becoming bored with the extended routine, and finally his attention strayed. That’s when she tore a handful of the plant from the ground and stuffed it into her jeans pocket.